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| Very Rev. Paul Ugo Arinze is pictured on a visit to Nigeria with his parents, including his mother Virginia, right, and father Michael, left (now deceased). Also pictured is Sr. Harriet Ogo Okafor, a member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy, who is a relative of Virginia Arinze. (Contributed photo) |
BELOIT — Very Rev. Paul Ugo Arinze has been touched by the “outpouring of support and love” from people throughout the Diocese of Madison who prayed for his mother, Virginia Arinze, who was rescued after being kidnapped in Nigeria.
Father Arinze, pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) Parish in Beloit, made a quick trip to Nigeria on March 2 to see his mother in the hospital. He returned to Beloit on March 6.
Mother’s condition
“She was still in the ICU when I arrived in Nigeria in critical but stable condition,” he said after his return. “She had suffered from extreme dehyration, dislocated shoulders, and a knee injury and was complaining of internal pain all due to the extreme way she was handled and the conditions her captors put her through.”
By his second day in Nigeria, Mrs. Arinze made “tremendous improvement” and was responding positively to her treatment, Father Arinze said.
“She was moved from ICU to a regular critical care room on March 5. According to her doctors, she will still be in the hospital for another week or two before her release. Investigations into the circumstances of her kidnapping and those who were involved are still ongoing.”
Abducted at gunpoint
Mrs. Arinze was abducted at gunpoint from her home in the city of Awka on the afternoon of February 21. The abductors claimed to have some ties to the terrorist organization Boko Haram, but the Nigerian authorities are doubtful of that claim, said Father Arinze.
“She was held outside all through her days in captivity, exposing her to rain, sun, and other elements,” he said.